UP TO 30 DAYS. HIGH SCHOOL DROP-OUTS ARE NOW CHANGING THEIR MINDS. KIDS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN USED TO GETTING "F'S" ARE THINKING ABOUT ANOTHER "F"... THEIR FUTURE. KOAT ACTION 7 NEWS REPORTER ALANA GRIMSTAD EXPLAINS WHAT'S STARTING SOON IN SANTA FE, AND WHO'S ALREADY INTERESTED. SCHOOL JUST WASN'T FOR THEM. It just got frustrating. It got boring. SO THEY DROPPED OUT. I had to get out of there. AND NOW YEARS LATER, A NEW DESIRE FOR THAT DIPLOMA. We need to go to college. SANTA FE SCHOOLS ARE MAKING THAT POSSIBLE. It's a great opportunity. SANTA FE SUPERINTENDENT DR. JOEL BOYD SAYS 1600 SCHOOL DROP-OUTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 22 ARE LIVING IN SANTA FE. HE SAYS A NEW PROGRAM STARTING NEXT MONTH CALLED "ENGAGE SANTA FE" IS THEIR SECOND CHANCE. AND 140 PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY APPLIED. It's a second chance. It's a way to do things you want And to really move forward with your career in the way you want it, at the pace and in the direction that you want. CLASSES ARE MOSTLY HELD ONLINE AND THEY'RE FLEXIBLE SO STUDENTS CAN STILL WORK OR SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES. BOTTOM LINE, THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT JUST DIDN'T CONFORM TO SCHOOL, AND SO NOW SCHOOL MUST CONFORM TO THEM. What we have to do here is create something that fits within their reality rather than asking them to change their reality because we've been asking them to do that, and that has not worked. The superintendent says while first priority will be given to Santa Fe students, young men and women from Albuquerque and Espanola have also applied. In Santa Fe, Alana Grimstad KOAT Action 7 News. THE TEACHERS UNION ORIGINALLY DIDN'T LIKE THE PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY ACCUSED THE DISTRICT OF ILLEGALLY USING PUBLIC MONEY TO FUND A PRIVATE COMPANY, THAT WAS HIRED TO RECRUIT STUDENTS AND RUN THE CLASSES. THAT COMPANY PULLED OUT, AND THE DISTRICT IS RUNNING THE PROGRAM. HAPPENING RIGHT